While the collective gaming world holds their breath for news regarding GTA VI, it seems Rockstar is looking to keep people happy with some remasters. A new rumor going around claims that the classic GTA trilogy, GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas, are getting the remaster treatment and coming to PS5 as early as this fall! Join us as we break down the rumor and find out if this could lead to other classic Rockstar games getting a return to the limelight. GTA Trilogy Remaster Coming to PS5? This story has been building for the better part of a year, but recent DMCA takedowns on GTA Mods, and news about 2K releasing more remasters in the coming months have sparked the discussion anew. An article on Kotaku details the story. Their sources, which have been accurate in the past for GTA Online and Red Dead Online updates, claim that the three classic Grand Theft Auto games are getting the remaster treatment. The rumors say that Rockstar is using the Unreal Engine and including a mix of both new and old graphics. Kotaku’s sources compare the look and feel to some of the high-end mods out there that update the graphics. The UI is also getting a rework, but is supposed to keep the classic style. All in all, I see this as one of those HD remaster type of situations and less of a full remake, which is totally fine. The sources go on to claim that Rockstar Dundee in Scotland is taking point after being purchased by Rockstar as a studio last year. Prior to joining Rockstar, the studio was Ruffian games and worked on the Crackdown series, which was a damn fine GTA clone (at least, the first game was). When Can We Expect Classic GTA Remasters on PS5? The plans surrounding these remasters have been in flux for a while now, thanks to the ongoing pandemic. Originally, they were going to be packaged into the upcoming GTA V remaster for PS5 as a bonus, but have since become standalone titles. It was originally scheduled to come out earlier this week, but Rockstar delayed it internally. The current plan is to release the remasters around late October or early November 2021. Current sources claim it will be sold in a single trilogy package and most likely live as a digital-only game. I’m a big fan of this idea, and I think it would be fun to revisit the classics while we wait on GTA VI. It could also lead to other remasters. Bully, anyone? Let us know what you think about these rumors in the comments! Article by: Bradley Ramsey Insert date: 8/12/21
New PS5 Announcements From The Annapurna Interactive Showcase!
The Annapurna Summer Showcase brought some updates and announcements that span all current consoles, but we’re here to look at the PS5-specific ones. New partnerships with studios like Outerloop Games, No Code, and Ivy Road could lead to PS5 titles as well, but since those remain unannounced, we’ll stick with what we know. Check out the new trailers! PS5 Announcements From The Annapurna Interactive Showcase A memoir blue This is a classic Annapurna title, with beautiful art, lots of emotions, and wonderful music. Grab the tissues, folks. Solar Ash This one has a vibe that combines Shadow of The Colossus with shades of Journey and Sayonara Wild Hearts, and oh boy am I here for it. Stray Stray captured hearts with its feline protagonist, and today we got a deeper look at the gameplay and world, both of which look excellent. It won’t be out until next year, but this is a day-1 buy for me. Outer Wilds: Echoes of The Eye My personal game of the show, Outer Wilds is something that everyone should experience in their lifetime. Described as “the one and only expansion,” Echoes of The Eye seems to be a prequel that leads directly into the events of the main game, which is about the only thing that would work, which you’ll understand if you played it. What did you think of these new announcements? Let us know in the comments! Article by – Bradley Ramsey Insert date – 7/29/2021
EA Play 2021 Live Stream and Highlights!
While the main portion of E3 has come and gone, the spirit of new announcements and surprises is still alive and well! We’ve got EA Play 2021 happening on July 22nd at 10AM PT, and next week Annapurna is bringing the heat with their own showcase. For now though, let’s see what EA is bringing to their showcase. Battlefield 2042 is a given, but could we see the rumored Dead Space remake? Check out the full live stream and all of our highlights below! EA Play 2021 Full Stream and Event Highlights A new trailer for Zoink’s Lost in Random game during the pre-show reminds me why I need to keep my eyes on this one. A distinct style and Tim Burton-esque feel has me very interested. We’re opening the show with an update on the recently acquired Codemasters, known for their realistic racing titles. They’ve announced Grid: Legends as their next title. The game is going to include a story mode with live action cutscenes.They are filmed using the same XR technology used in The Mandalorian series, which is an interesting detail. Next up is Apex Legends. Apex Legends Emergence was revealed in a flashy trailer, which showcased the new Legend, Seer. New maps are in the works as well. The new arena mode is also being expanded in Emergence, offering a mode beyond Battle Royale.
July 8th State of Play Highlights: Deathloop Deep Dive, Indies, and Third-Party Updates!
While E3 has come and gone, Sony is apparently stepping into the spotlight with a new State of Play. While it doesn’t seem like a bombastic E3 showcase, they did promise a look at Deathloop, along with updates on indie games and third-party titles, so that leaves a lot of room! The July 8th State of Play begins at 2PM Pacific, 5PM Eastern, and you can watch the whole stream right here! We’ll also provide our live highlights during the event, for anyone who simply wants to see the big announcements. We’ve got you covered, so bookmark this page and stay tuned! July 8th State of Play Full Stream & Highlights We’re opening with footage of the next game in the Moss series on PSVR! First game was excellent and a sequel was teased, so this is great news. New weapons and mechanics shown, but seems to have the same isometric view, which worked great in the first game for VR. Title is Moss Book II. A new multiplayer shooter has you fighting to save an arcade, completing echallenges to earn cred, and fighting hordes of enemies in what looks like a neon-soaked Fortnite type of game. Customizable characters, loot drops, and a variety of weapons in Arcadegeddon, which begins early access today on PS5. Next up is Tribes of Midgard, which comes out later this month and is here to show off seasonal updates after the game’s launch. The game also features eight classes to unlock with their own abilities and skill trees. Runes also drop per season, which add both active and passive abilities like lightning on your attacks. Season quests will also take you across Asgard to fight new bosses. Looks pretty good, and online co-op up to 10 players! The next game stars anamorphic animal characters in a gritty sc-fi world that seems to be a side-scrolling brawler. It’s called F.I.S.T and it comes out September 7th. Next is Hunter’s Arena, a game about fighting online players and demons as a hunter in a fantasy world. While the customization is a little silly (disco ball weapons, rubber ducks), the rest of the game looks pretty good. The game is a battle royale on massive maps with enemies and dungeons, with options to go alone or in a team of three. It launches next month on PS4 and PS5. and will be fre for PS+ members. We have new footage of Sifu in action, and the kung-fu brawler is looking as awesome as ever. Interestingly, the character seems to age every time you fail. It’s coming in early 2022 now. We are seeing more of Jet: The Far Shore, an interstellar sci-fi game about exploring and colonizing an unknown planet. The gameplay has a pulled back camera that really conveys perspective and space as you fly your ship. The game also features first-peron segments on the ground for additional story. Combat won’t be a focus, but you will have defense mechanics and scanners to learn more about … Read More
Ubisoft Forward 2021 Highlights and Announcements!
Each year Ubisoft hosts some sort of event around the summertime, and with E3 2021 in full swing, it’s time for Ubisoft Forward 2021. Join us here at 3PM Eastern, 12PM Pacific, for the full event, and stay tuned to this page for the major highlights as the event unfolds! Splinter Cell, new Assassin’s Creed content, Rainbow Six, Far Cry 6, or even Beyond Good & Evil 2? Time will tell, let’s dive in. Ubisoft Forward 2021: Full Event and Highlights We’re opening with Rainbow Six Extraction, which is a co-op version of the game that has more of a sci-fi twist to the story. The enemies seem to be infected with an alien parasite of a sort, with ranged attacks and special enemy types. It’s coming out September 16th. Next up is Rocksmith, which seems to be making a comeback. I always liked the concept of this, as it taught you real guitar skills. The new game uses a subscription to give you ongoing content, which I have mixed feelings about. There’s a beta upcoming for the new Rocksmith+ game. A new Rider’s Republic trailer shows us a deeper look into the massively multiplayer extreme sports game. We got a look at the hub of the game, and some gameplay for the snowboarding gameplay, BMX, and wingsuit modes. It’s releasing September 2nd. We got some updates on live games like Rainbow Six Siege, For Honor, Trackmania, Brawlhalla, The Crew 2, and upcoming Watch Dogs DLC. Just Dance 2022 is coming, surprising no one, but is nice to have. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla gets some updates, including one-handed swords and a summer release for the Siege of Paris DLC. The Discovery Tour mode makes a return, which could be cool for those interested in viking history. The game is also slated to get DLC into the second year, with additional expansions. Far Cry 6 gameplay mostly focuses on a cutscene where the villain is in the spotlight. The tension is good and the villain seems strong. They went on to discuss post-launch content for the release. The Season pass is also confirmed to include Blood Dragon, and DLC where you play as past Far Cry villains, which is pretty awesome actually. Mario and the Rabbids are back, with a new title that seems to pull from Mario Galaxy. The new title is called Sparks of Hope. We also got a look at some early gameplay, with promises that it would introduce new elements to push the genre forward. We’re closing out with a look at the Avatar game Ubisoft is making, and the graphics are certainly impressive, but the film’s sequel needs to be quite good to really become relevant again after all these years and make a game like this make sense. Article by: Bradley Ramsey Insert date: 6/12/21
E3 2021: All The Announcements You May Have Missed!
E3 2021 is partially a return to form for the historical gaming event. We’re still not back to being in person, but with the event outright canceled last year, it’s great to see a digital version, but that means that a lot more people and streams are available than you would typically find. You’ve probably heard about the Summer Game Fest kickoff, and no doubt you’ll watch Ubisoft Forward and Xbox + Bethesda’s showcase, but what about the smaller streams? Guerilla collective, IGN Expo, Devolver Digital, Day of the Devs, Wholesome Direct, and so on? For those, we’ve created this page as a headquarters to make sure you don’t miss some of the hidden gems from this year’s announcements. Bookmark this page, and check back often for new trailers and updates! Toem Toem is an intruiging hand-drawn adventure about a photographer who needs to earn enough money for their bus fare to go visit and capture a natural event that’s called, you guessed it, Toem. A Musical Story A Musical Story is a rhythm game with a 70s look and feel about a person coming to terms with their situation by reliving their memories through the lens of music. Vokabulantis Vokabulantis is a new stop-motion adventure featuring two lovers who have no mouths but want to communicate. It’s a haunting, but beautiful premise about saving the world from a future without language. Last Stop Last Stop is from Annapurna Interactive, whose games will always find their way into my library. This third-person narrative adventure is set in modern day London and follows three characters, who will soon collide in the midst of a supernatural crisis. It’s the kind of mystery thriller I always love to see. Mortal Shell: The Virtuous Cycle Mortal Shell is getting DLC for both PS4 and PS5! Check out the trailer for a glimpse into what’s next for this stylish souls-like title. Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions brings boxing back to the gaming forefront with a cast of characters from the Rocky film universe. Sherlock Holmes Chapter One Frogwares released a new trailer for their upcoming Sherlock Holmes game that will be finding its way to PS5. Doki Doki Literature Club Plus Doki Doki Literature club is NOT the cute dating sim it seems to be on the surface. This horror game made waves on PC when it first released, but on June 30th we’re getting console versions and and expanded content. If you love horror, don’t get spoiled and wait to check it out at launch. Kena: Bridge of Spirits The Tribeca Games Spotlight brought new footage of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, which is coming soon to PS5 and just looks stunning every time it’s on screen. Sifu Sifu got a new trailer, and this cinematic fighter continues to look like it will have a great style and fighting system. OlliOlli World The OliiOlli series continues with this upcoming entry that updates the graphics and offers that same quirky style … Read More
Summer Game Fest 2021 Kickoff Live Stream Highlights!
It may not be in person, and it may not include your typical events, but E3 season is upon us, and I will take what I can get! As my favorite time of the year (sorry holidays), I am pleased to take you on this journey into new updates, new titles, and shocking announcements. We begin with Geoff Keighly’s Summer Game Fest Kickoff, which begins as a livestream before the even continues into the month. Competitor to E3? It’s replacement? Only time will tell, but when it comes to exciting gaming events, the more the merrier! Check out the stream below and our highlights! Watch The Full Summer Game Fest Kickoff + Highlights From The Live Stream We’re opening with the new title from Gearbox (Creators of Borderlands). And it’s Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, with a full list of great actors like Andy Samberg, Wanda Sykes, and Will Arnet. It’s a standalone game outside of the Borderlands franchise (but clearly connected). Coming early 2022. Next up we have Metal Slug Tactics, and as a fan of the series, I’m interested in seeing more! Though, it is a departure from the typical gameplay. Still love that art style, and it was a great trailer. Next up we have a pre-recorded interview with Hideo Kojima, and oh boy am I wondering where this is going. While he didn’t reveal anything about his next game, we did get some news. We open on Sam from Death Stranding as he considers using a cardboard box to sneak into enemy territory. Big Metal Gear Solid vibes here. It’s Death Stranding: Director’s Cut coming to PS5! Not bad! A full reveal is just a few weeks away. Next up we have Jeff Goldblum announcing a World Premiere. Heavy Jurassic Park vibes and Dinosaurs show up right away. It’s a sequel to Jurassic World Evolution, which was a great sim-building title in the franchise. Next is a performance from Japanese Breakfast, with a lovely game playing in the background that looks similar to Journey. Sable is the game, coming September 23rd, and will be featured in the Tribeca stream tomorrow. Lostark, an MMORPG, is coming west from Amazon’s game studios. Looks ot be isometric, like an MMO version of Diablo perhaps? It’s coming this fall. As Prime Gaming sponsored Summer Game Fest 2021, we’re seeing a promotion for that subscription, which includes in-game perks, items, and free titles each month. New season of Call of Duty coming next week to Cold War and Warzone. Trailer highlights some sweet new maps, operators, and Zombies mode content. Ryan Reynolds makes an appearance and makes a joke about Elden Ring, which I know will come back to bite him if it doesn’t show up in this stream. He’s here to promote his movie, which looks pretty good! Among Us is adding new content like roles, maps, and modes.The Geoff Keighly mask is back for today if you watch 15 mins of the stream on Twitch. Shuhei Yoshida is here to talk … Read More
Horizon: Forbidden West State of Play Highlights!
Sony is hosting a Horizon: Forbidden West State of Play with all new gameplay on May 27th, and you can watch the full event below. We’ve also included all the major highlights from the event, so let’s dive in! All the Major Highlights From Sony’s May 27th State of Play Here are the key takeaways from the event in case you missed it, or you need to quickly understand what news we have on Horizon: Forbidden West. The showcase gets right into it with PS5 gameplay of Horizon: Forbidden West. Graphics are incredibly detailed, and lighting in particular is stunning. We get a glimpse of raiders riding velociraptor machines that sport feathers and a pair of chainsaws in their lower jaws. A striking creature design that fits well into the world. Aloy is forced to flee as the raptors surround her. Traversal looks smoother and the enemies chase her upwards into some ruins before she divews into the water to escape. Underwater environments are equally stunning, and we catch a glimpse of a massive water-based machine creature as well. Swimming mechanics include a push-off dash maneuver that Aloy uses to push past strong currents. A massive elephant machine referred to as a Tremortusk, makes its debut in another cutscene where one of Aloy’s allies from the first game has been captured by raiders. Combat looks as agile as ever. At one point, Aloy attached some sort of temporary boost to her bow, allowing her to shoot through an enemy’s thick armor. Aloy uses a holographic paraglider to glide down from a tall distance similar to Breath of the Wild. She then tames one of the raptors with her staff, allowing her to ride it. Aloy takes on the Tremortusk, shooting out enemies on its back witr her bow. The enemy is formidable, with laser cannons on its tusks. She uses some new projectiles to slow the beast down before knocking out its weak points in due fashion. She continues to use a grappling hook to move quickly through the environment as the Tremortusk gives chase, destroying entire sections of ruins during the fight. Her ally gives Aloy a device that pinpoints a new location in the United States for them to journey to. The pair discuss a coming storm before we cut to the title. A deep dive into the footage confirms the use of a diving mask to navigate underwater, and new mounts, along with new traversal methods. Weapons like special arrows, spears, and fallen weapons from machines are all back with new variations. No word on release date, or any news on a PS5 update for the first game, but compelling gameplay nonetheless. Stay tuned for more updates and information on Horizon: Forbidden West right here! Article by – Bradley Ramsey Insert date – 5/27/2021
Biomutant Review – The Price of Ambition
Time and time again, small teams have proven that they are capable of incredible gaming experiences. I’ve played countless titles made by a handful of people, or by a small group, and come away impressed. Of course, the balance here is between the ambition of the team, and what they can realistically accomplish. Biomutant, the first title from Experiment 101, published by THQ Nordic, is a title that has been in and out of the spotlight for several years, always garnering interest, but fraught with delays. Now, the full game is here, and I’ve played it on both PS4 and PS5 via backwards compatibility. How did this small team fare in their battle of ambition? Let’s find out. An Ambitious Action RPG that Struggles to Reach it’s Potential Biomutant makes a strong first impression with its CGI opener and a unique character creation system. Things like choosing a class, your primary fur colors, and base stats are all here, but the game also changes your appearance based on how much you lean towards things like intellenct or strength. The former will give you a big head, while the latter will shrink your head in favor a muscular build. Tying your appearance into your stats isn’t something I’ve seen since the days of Fable where your decisions between the good and evil path changed your outward appearance. Biomutant doesn’t take things this far, but the connection in the character creation offers a streamlined approach across your looks and your stats. While you are asked to pick a class, Biomutant allows you to refine your decisions as time goes on, so really the only permanent choice in the beginning are your base stats and your appearance. The rest can be molded as time goes on, which is a level of flexibility I appreciate in my RPGs. So, with your character made, you set out into the world. This is where the highs and lows of the experience become apparent. The first few hours of Biomutant aren’t incredibly inspiring due to inconsistent pacing and a litanty of tutorials. Flashbacks to your childhood are also prevalent and a little too long for the story they’re trying tell. I felt like these could have been cut or streamlined. Given the sheer number of systems at play here, I think the tutorials could have been given a little more room to breathe as well. From a story perspective, Biomutant presents a lush and vibrant world that suffered from an environmental apocalypse that wiped out humans, leaving mutated creatures to take over the planet. While things are regrowing and nature is returning to the world, the “Tree of Life” at the center of the map is threatened by creatures known as Worldeaters that threaten to snuff out this central aspect of the world. Among this, your character is the child of someone who once united the tribes of the world and perfected a style of combat called “Wung-Fu.” Your backstory is predictable, but sets the stage for … Read More
Poker Club Review – Going by The Book
While I am not an avid gambler, I do enjoy the thrill of a good game of poker. Before the events of 2020, I was in Las Vegas for work and lost a good chunk of change at the tables. One of my colleagues (who won a lot of money) would always ask “What does the book say?” before he made a decision, referring of course to the proverbial manual on how to properly play poker. Poker Club on PS5 feels like it was made with this hypothetical “book” in mind. Advertising itself as an immersive poker simulation, the promise rings true from a developer like Ripstone that has made the most faithful chess games I’ve ever played. The game isn’t afraid to throw its own book at you, but does the experience come together to truly capture the spirit of the game? Let’s find out. A Cut Above Other Poker Titles, But Not Quite a Winning Hand Considering Ripstone’s other work on chess titles, I think what worked really well there was a combination of excellent presentation, detail, and customization. It also did a superb job of teaching how to play the game, which really helped the experience feel complete. The first thing I noticed in Poker Club was how it kind of throws you into it without much care for those who may not know the rules or strategies. There is a spot on the main menu to learn more about these things, but the delivery is simply walls of text instead of interactive training sessions or something more engaging. It also doesn’t help that the text is incredibly small on a 4K display. Not even squinting could save me here, I had to get up and approach the screen just to read what it was saying. In terms of onboarding or welcoming beginners, it feels very much lacking compared to what it could have been. Moving past this, exploring the menu reveals options for single and multiplayer modes, along with variations like single or multi-table tournaments, and a number of other variations. In all, you’ll have 10 variants to choose from, but thankfully it’s quite easy to just get into a game quickly. While the loading times are incredibly fast on PS5, the pace of the matches may be slower than some expect. People will take their time online in some cases, which is unavoidable, but the animations, the dealer themselves, and the other aspects of the game all flow in a relatively calm manner. The way the cards are dealt, the slow slide of someone placing chips onto the table, it all feels authentic but can be a little slower than other poker simulators. One thing I found particularly satisfying was how you could hold the right trigger to flip your cards up and check what you’re working with. The close-up of the hands and cards here really added to the immersion for me, making me feel like I was truly at a table, stealing a … Read More